Subbing In
by MysticLight0808
Summary: Misaki thought it would be just another concert with her group, with no major mishaps besides what being around Kokoro, Hagumi, and Kaoru implied. But things take a turn when she and Kanon learn that her mascot suit Michelle is nowhere to be found. Misaki soon finds a solution to this problem, but can she summon the courage to take the stage in a way she never has before?


I open the door to the waiting room and take inventory: two girls sprinting around in circles, another reciting unrelated Shakespeare quotes to herself, and the last panicking at the chaos of it all.

"It seems all's still right with the world," I whisper, rolling my eyes. I don't expect myself to smile, but a dumb grin appears on my face before I know it.

"Okay everyone, I've talked to all of the staff, and we should be all set to go now," I say to them. "We've still got a bit of time left, so try to, you know, keep things calm until then, alright?"

"Misaki! You're just in time to join us for our game of tag!" Kokoro says while running around the small area. "It's just me and Hagumi right now, but we'd love to have a third!"

"Well, there's that proposal completely out the window," I say to myself.

"Yeah, it's really fun!" Hagumi replies. She runs over to me and touches my arm. "You're it, Mii-kun!"

"No one's it, alright? Could you guys please stop so nothing gets broken?"

"The winds of anticipation roll forth as our time to perform draws closer," Kaoru says while sitting at the table in the center of the room. Kokoro and Hagumi stop running around to listen to her. "In just a few minutes, the music we've spent so long preparing will completely mystify this audience and leave them spellbound. And by some fortunate chance, while we're up on that stage, we may feel those same sensations within ourselves."

"Wait for it…" I say silently.

"Ah! How fleeting this all is!"

"Right on time alongside her other nonsequiturs."

"Kaoru-kun, you're so cool! Though, I'm not totally sure I understand all of what you said…" Hagumi says.

"Fufu, my little kitten, it simply is but that."

"Trust me, it doesn't hurt too much not to know," I tell her.

My eyes shift focus and finally reach a frightened Kanon, who I had almost forgotten was there, and alone with the three dummies, no less. "Oh Kanon, you poor, poor thing," I say quietly before sitting down next to her.

"M-M-Misaki-chan!" She smiles when she sees me, but is clearly still shaken from having to manage the trio by herself. "I-I'm sorry… Kokoro suggested playing tag while you were gone, a-and I couldn't do anything to stop them besides saying I didn't want to play."

"It's alright, Kanon-san. I should've gotten back a little more quickly. Kind of had a feeling they'd try something like that while I was out of sight. But I'm just glad that no one's hurt and that we don't owe anything in destruction of property fines yet."

"Hehe, I suppose you're right," Most of the fear in her eyes is already gone, and her innocent smile forms once again.

"Hey, I've gotta go and get suited up. Why don't you come with me and get some fresh, less hectic air?" I offer.

"B-but that'll leave them completely alone! Don't we not want that to happen?"

"Don't worry, I have an idea." I face back towards Kaoru, but address everyone. "Hey guys, I've gotta go and get Michelle. Kaoru has some great stories to tell until I get back, don't you?"

Kaoru makes some grand, unidentifiable gesture with her hands. "Why of course, Misaki. Gather around and listen, my companions."

"Perfect," I whisper to Kanon as the two flock to Kaoru. "I didn't even plan that, I just figured she'd go along with it."

"Hehe, you're so smart, Misaki-chan," Kanon replies just as quietly, impressed.

"Eh, I've just learned how to deal with those three more effectively than I used to. Now come on, let's go."

Without too much hassle, the two of us slip out of the room and walk down the hall to find everyone's favorite mascot.

"The other bands must find it pretty strange to see a pink bear outfit in an otherwise standard costume room," Kanon ponders aloud as we arrive.

"Yeah, no kidding." I open the door. "Well, time to be absolutely drenched in… sweat… again…"

When I look inside, there's an elephant in the room. Or more accurately, a giant pink bear suit not in the room.

"Where's Michelle?" I ask, a ball of worry starting to build up in my stomach. "She's always on that rack whenever we play here, but she's not there."

"P-pardon me if I'm wrong, but didn't you bring it back to Kokoro's mansion after practice yesterday to get it cleaned by the people in suits?"

It takes me a second to recall what Kanon is talking about, but the realization hits me harder than a bag of hammers.

"Oh, that's what it was!" I say, starting to piece everything together. "I told Kokoro I was looking for something I had forgotten at her place while they got it cleaned for me, but I had to go back home because my parents were going to a meeting and needed me to watch over my siblings. It slipped my mind to pick it up after school today."

My anxiety turns into self-anger almost immediately, and I collapse into one of the seats. "God, I'm such an idiot!"

"M-Misaki-chan, please don't say that about yourself!" Kanon says. "Do you have their phone number? They seem to help us out a lot even when it seems like they're nowhere close to us, so maybe they can find a way to get it to you."

I gasp; I had completely overlooked that possibility. "You're right!" I scramble in my hoodie pockets for my phone and check my contacts. "Let's see here… Ah, got it!"

I stand up and dial the number, reinvigorated. "Okay, this is good. This is gonna turn out alright. The suits will miraculously find a way to get Michelle here on time, and-"

"We're sorry, but the people you are trying to contact are currently tending to the requests of Tsurumaki-san. Please leave a message and they will call back at the earliest possible moment. Have a nice day."

"What?!" I yell. I call the number twice more out of desperation, but I get the same response both times.

Despair takes over as I fall into the chair again. "I'm sorry, Kanon-san… There's nothing else I can think of. I can't get to Kokoro's place nearly as fast as I need to, and we can't just reschedule this far in." A long, defeated sigh escapes my body. "I think you're just going to have to play without Michelle tonight…"

"Misaki-chan…"

My head droops down as I think of the mess I've caused my bandmates, all of it completely unnecessary and avoidable. But I snap back up when a thought comes to me.

"Unless…" I stand up and face Kanon again. "Kanon-san, do you know if you guys have any back-up outfits? I'm sure Kokoro's family can afford something like that."

"Um, let me see..." I turn in my seat and see Kanon quickly go back and search just left of the gap made by Michelle's non-presence. The dozens of costumes the other bands use form a rainbow wave as she searches through them for our signature set.

"I found one!" Kanon shouts, swiftly taking our marching outfit off of the rack. "And it looks to be mine as well. We're both close to the same height, so it should be able to fit you too!"

"Kanon-san, you're a lifesaver!" I spring up from my seat. But before I can comprehend it, my words are halted just as speedily.

"What's wrong?"

"What's that under the costumes?" I ask, pointing at something pink, black, and fuzzy. Kanon sets the clothes down, walks over and picks the object up, initially puzzled.

"These look like headphones. But their design seems a little bit familiar..."

"This is the same pair Michelle uses," I identify instantly. "But they're a lot closer to normal size headphones. And they were right underneath the outfit."

"You don't mean...?"

"I don't think this is your costume. I think it might be mine."

"I-I think you're right."

I chuckle awkwardly. "Guess they had a plan for a situation like this after all." I try to reach out for the outfit, but my hand halts just short; it starts to shake without me willing it to. I can't make out what's caused me to interrupt myself, and it takes me a few moments and a deep breath to find the thought.

"This… is going to be my first time going out onstage like this. As myself."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Kanon responds, somewhat confused at my changed tone. "Is something the matter?"

"I... I guess I didn't realize how much easier it was to perform with Michelle concealing my appearance. Sure, it's unbelievably hot in there, it's really hard to move, and I can't see all that great, but... It's almost like I can feel the spirit that she provides to the band and the audience, and it does really help to drive me to do this. Without her, I'm just Misaki Okusawa out there. Just plain old me. I'm not a performer like she is. I don't have a presence that's instantly recognizable and can bring happiness to everyone like she does. I'm not able to do what sh-"

Kanon's hands softly latch onto my shoulders, catching me completely off-guard. She had never made physical contact with me like that in all the time that I knew her.

"Misaki-chan, I need you to listen to me," she says, a rare directness supporting her tone. "You don't need Michelle to perform. I know it may seem scary to go out there as yourself, because that's exactly how I felt when Kokoro had me drum on the streets. Even now, I sometimes find it difficult to get past my fears when we're close to performing. But either way, we've both done this so many times, and you've really done some amazing things out there that no one else can do."

"Kanon-san..."

"I know you can do this. You're stronger and more capable than you think. Whether you're using your hands or bear paws, looking at the audience through a costume or through your own eyes, you're our DJ. And you can't be replaced no matter who you go onstage as."

Her hands finally let go, and the last bit of my tension leaves with them.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry!" she suddenly blurts out. "I said all that without even asking if you still wanted to do this! P-please, do whatever you feel most comfortable with!"

I can't help but laugh. "It's okay, Kanon-san. I think I've made my choice now." My hand grasps the garments for the first time; they're a lot softer than I expect them to be. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Great!" she says, her voice now brightened. "I'll let you change then!"

"Wait," I call out before she reaches the door. "There's one more thing."

Striding confidently to her, I graze my hand across her cheek and plant upon her lips a brisk kiss. As expected, her face turns a deep red, yet she doesn't react as audibly as she usually does.

"Thank you so much, Kanon. You've really been a big help for me tonight."

"M-my pleasure, M-Misaki..."

After Kanon leaves the room, I start to change. With each element of the costume I put on, I feel an excitement growing hotter and hotter within me, a feeling of pure anticipation that I hadn't experienced in quite a while. Eventually, when I finish it off with the hat, saving my headphones for when I get onstage, I eye myself in a mirror.

"Huh, that doesn't look too bad," I say, pretty impressed at the level of detail and how closely it resembles everyone else's outfits.

"Okay... I think I'm ready now. This will be no problem at all, I've got nothing to worry about. Michelle, wherever you are, I'm gonna put on an amazing show for the both of us." With those words and a confident smirk, I exit back into the hallway.

"Misaki-chan!" Kanon replies. "You look great; the outfit really suits you."

"Thank you, Kanon-chan. Shall we get going?"

Once we arrive back at the waiting room, we see the chaotic duo at the table, completely enamored by whatever story Kaoru is telling them.

"What happened to them, Kaoru-kun?!" Hagumi frantically asks, leaning over the table. "Did they make it out alright?!"

"Seems things worked out just fine here," I whisper to Kanon, who giggles in response.

"Do not fret, my little kitten. For you see, while the tunnel to the cave did end up collapsing, never to allow entrance from anyone else ever again, the pair managed to escape within an inch of their lives. And while they were able to leave with the gemstone they set out to find, the strengthening of their bond was just as, if not more valuable. Quite fleeting, isn't it?"

"Wow, what an amazing story, Kaoru!" Kokoro says, spreading her arms out as she tilts her chair back. "I was smiling all the way through!"

"Yeah, that was awesome! Do you have any m-" Hagumi interrupts herself when she catches sight of us. "Oh, Kano-chan-senpai, Mii-kun, you're back! But how come Mii-kun's wearing the band outfit?"

"My my, this is quite an intriguing sight," Kaoru notes as she turns around. "Our guardian angel Misaki has for once donned our attire. Perhaps it is an effort to emulate the shining beauty that I radiate? Fufu, I wouldn't blame you at all if that were to be the case, my little kitten."

"Wait, where's Michelle?" Kokoro asks. "Didn't you say you were going to go get her?"

"Well, Michelle gave me a call, and she said that she had some... really, really important last-minute matters to attend to back home. So, she asked me if I could sub in for her for this show."

"Oh, that's a shame that she couldn't be with us," Kokoro replies. "But that means we get to play with you onstage for the very first time! Ooh, that's so exciting to think about! I can't wait!"

"A splendid time awaits us all with our sixth member finally joining us. We will undoubtedly have quite the magical experience," Kaoru adds on.

"But Mii-kun, can you DJ like Michelle can?" innocently asks Hagumi.

"I've been practicing just in case, believe me," I assure her. "But I do have one question: Kokoro, how c-"

"And for our last band of the night, we have the delightful Hello, Happy World! ready to fill the place with smiles! Let's give them a hand!" Everyone turns their heads toward the entrance to the stage after the announcer introduces us; the time has finally come.

"That's our cue, everyone! Let's go!" Without hesitation, Kokoro sprints out onstage and greets the audience with an exhilaration that's somehow even more energetic than her normal sky-high levels, garnering a roaring applause.

Kaoru confidently picks up her guitar. "Our time has come, Hagumi. Let's not leave them waiting any longer."

"Yeah, let's do this!" Hagumi shouts as she runs to grab her bass. The two exit to more fanfare as they play to the crowd and stand on both sides next to Kokoro.

"Well, it looks like it's time now," Kanon says to me. "Are you ready?"

"Um..." I retreat a little, somewhat less sure now that the moment has arrived. "You can go out first, I think I need another moment."

"Alright then. I believe in you, Misaki-chan." With sticks in hand and with one more glowing smile towards me, Kanon walks out to join the rest of our band, once again being healthily clapped for.

"Okay Misaki, you can do this. It's just like how you've been doing things for the past who knows how long, except a lot less uncomfortable. Things will be just fine..."

I mean to continue my self-pep talk, but my ear catches select statements coming from the crowd.

"Hey, where's Michelle?"

"This is Hello, Happy World!, right? Don't they usually have that giant pink bear with them?"

"Are they going without a DJ this time? Not sure how much she actually did, but still, she added a nice pop to the group."

The realization that I have to live up to such a noticeable mascot on my own psyches me out once again, freezing me in my place similar to before I put on the costume.

"I can do this... I can do this... I..."

"Now, you may be wondering where our lovely friend Michelle is," Kokoro says, now being the one to capture my attention. "Well, we've been told that she can't make it tonight. But that's okay, because we have a surprise for you all!"

"Oh no, is she giving me a separate introduction? Ugh, I should've seen this coming..."

"Not many of you may know this, but there's actually a sixth member of our group! She has a bit of stage fright, so that's why you don't see her with us when we play..."

"Right, I did tell them that," I mentally respond. "Honestly half-true at this point though."

"But she can DJ just as well as Michelle can! She also does a lot of work backstage for us, and she really helps make our concerts extra fun and exciting! She can be a little negative sometimes, but we know she wants to make the world smile just as much as we do, and we value her as a member of our band all the same!"

"Wow, I... I honestly wasn't expecting that," I say silently. "Thank you, Kokoro. That means a lot."

"So, without further ado, our sixth member... Misaki!" As my other bandmates wave me on, she starts pumping her fist in the air. "Mi-sa-ki! Mi-sa-ki!"

Suddenly, I hear it. The quick rising of a chant of my name as Kokoro rallies them on. It starts out quiet, but very soon turns into a thunderous shout from everyone in the live house. I feel all of the negative and doubtful thoughts running through my head disappear, and a new vitality wells up from within me as I finally put my headphones on.

I smile. "If they really want me, I'll give them me."

In a few steps, I'm onstage and on my way to my DJ decks, completely out in the open for the first time. And while some of the audience members still look at me a little bit confused, most of the rest of them are intensely clapping for me, ready to see what I can do. The whole sensation is quite satisfying for sure, but the task to fulfill their expectations still is quite daunting.

"U-um... Hi," I say awkwardly once I get up there, not really sure how to introduce myself this time. "I'm Misaki Okusawa, and-"

"And we are Hello, Happy World!" Kokoro swiftly interrupts, though I don't mind too much considering that I didn't have much of a plan on what to say past that. "We're super excited to have you all here with us tonight! Whether it's your first time seeing us, or you're a loyal fan, we've got something that will make each and every one of you smile! Everyone!"

Right on cue, both the audience and our band proclaim our motto: "Happy! Lucky! Smile! Yay!" It'd be weird to me if I hadn't done it so much as Michelle prior to this.

"Now let's get this show on the road! Our first song is going to be quite the fun one! In fact, it's one of the most special songs we have, because the concert we introduced it at was almost entirely organized by Misaki!" Kokoro gestures towards me, to which the audience shares curious musings.

"W-what?!" I shout in shock before I can catch myself. "I thought we were going to be doing that one later in the set!"

"Well, we want to showcase what you can do as soon as possible! After all, we don't have you here with us too often! And with that, it's time for Worldwide Treasure! Hit it, Misaki!"

"Kokoro..." I feel myself wanting to retaliate, but I put it aside. "Can't do much about it now that everyone's watching me," I tell myself as I take a deep breath. "Guess I'm just going to have to get through it."

I switch out the records that were on my turntables originally, with the audience continuing to murmur amongst themselves in the downtime.

"Let's get this thing started then," I say as optimistically as I can. After a mental four-count, I go in for the intro scratching, but immediately, it sounds off from what I usually get with Michelle. Not having to deal with her big body or gloved paws throws off how much I should move my arms and hands, and it makes me hesitate for a second. I try starting again, but it gets an even more odd-sounding result.

I eventually end up just experimenting with the crossfader and the turntable, trying as best I can to produce a good sound, but still not getting what I'm looking for no matter what I do. My face grimaces as I continue on, and I notice that our watchers are noticing when I glance up. I turn my head to Kanon out of desperation, but despite how much she wants to, we both know that there's not much that she can do to help me right now.

"I should've known this was going to happen," I think in the midst of my frustration. "I need Michelle here with me, I need something to help me out here..."

"Wow, what a solo!" Kokoro suddenly exclaims as she starts to dance to my fumbling. "Uh, uh! Go Misaki!"

"Kokoro, what are you-" I start to reprimand her in my head, but then I pause with a thought; I take a quick step back from my decks, to the audience's surprise.

"Wait..." I process. "If this is a solo, as long as I have some idea of what I'm going for, I don't need to perfect about it. I just need to get myself out there. I just... have to go for it."

I nod, basically giving myself a mulligan, and step back up. Once I count off four beats again, I start over, but this time without worrying at all about what sound I'm getting.

All of a sudden, things start to flow a lot better. So long as I keep time with my rhythms, whatever comes out sounds just fine, good even. And since I have as much time as I want within reason, the more I try out, the more accurate I get as I readjust to the decks. Once again, the crowd reads the situation just as I do, with both of us getting more excited and feeling the beat more naturally at the same rate. And the same is the case for my bandmates, who all promptly start to make sense of things.

More than anything though, I see joy and smiles from both nearly every member of the crowd and all of my bandmates as I play, with Kanon happily clicking her sticks to every other beat and Hagumi and Kaoru adding their own smaller dance moves to Kokoro's.

I get one more look at Kanon as I'm thinking about wrapping up, and she smiles brightly towards me. I turn towards Kokoro, and she looks back at me for a second with her trademark wide-toothed grin. I turn my sights towards the audience once more, and it seems like they're enjoying themselves as much as possible too. So, with one more bar, I manage a wink and throw my arms up in the air to end the solo, garnering huge approval from our listeners.

"One! Two!" My hands dive back towards their previous positions again, this time finally nailing the intro and allowing the band to start the song proper.

Barring that song, where I managed to hit all of my solos, the rest of our set starts to go by in a flash. For each song afterward, I only manage to be conscious of the first couple of seconds after Kokoro calls the title out and a few choice moments of her acrobatics and dancing or Kaoru and Hagumi's showmanship. Still, I feel a big smile on my face and a loud pounding from my heart through each one, and I try to hype our onlookers up with my pointing and gestures whenever I get the chance, now far less restricted with my movements than I am with Michelle.

"Thank you so much, everyone!" Kokoro shouts to our patrons once the final note of our last song rings out only to be washed out by one more ultimate ovation. "We had so much fun playing for you all, and we hope to play again for you soon! Say it with me!"

"Happy! Lucky! Smile! Yay!"

With the final utterance of our trademark saying, the five of us step off the stage, with the excitement of our show emanating through us all, including me.

"Mii-kun, you did amazing!" Hagumi exclaims as she rushes me with a surprise hug from behind. "I'm sorry for doubting you earlier. You're really just as good at DJ'ing as Michelle is!"

"Ha ha, it's alright. Thank you Hagumi, you did really well too." She blushes, still latched to me as I match gazes with Kaoru.

"What can I say, Misaki? You were quite a shining presence out there, and it seems the audience deeply enjoyed seeing you perform. They might have even found you as enamoring as I, and in your first show, no less."

"Yeah, maybe I was..." I reply, feeling loose enough to indulge her.

"Misaki-chan!" Kanon calls out, following Hagumi's hug with one of her own, this time facing towards me. "You were really, really great! I knew you could do it, and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself so much."

"I couldn't have gotten up there without your encouragement though. You really allowed me to experience something that I thought I wouldn't, couldn't ever do, and I enjoyed it more than I could've ever imagined. Thank you so much again, Kanon-san." Kanon smiles again, as warm as a mid-summer's day.

"Misaki!" Kokoro calls, maybe the most animated of everyone. "That was truly wonderful! Everyone looked so happy seeing you out there, and your solo at the start was really spectacular too!"

"Thanks, Kokoro. I can't believe it, but you helped me a lot tonight too; I doubt I would've been able to recover from that beginning if you didn't bail me out."

"Well, you've never really had a moment to shine for everyone to see, so I figured this would be the perfect time. I even had another costume made just for you for when you felt ready to come join us!"

"Wait, so this isn't a backup then?" I ask, quite surprised at her intentions.

"Of course not! I was hoping a day would come when you would finally be able to wear it just like the rest of us. Do you like it?"

I feel the material of my clothes again, now only slightly stained by my sweat from the concert. It was certainly was more comfortable, freer than what I was used to.

"Yeah, it's really nice."

"Perfect! That means you can perform with us whenever Michelle can't make it! Oh, it'll be so great! Aren't you excited?!"

My eyes widen at her sudden proposition, but before I can say anything else, I hear the door a tiny bit. When I turn around, I glance at the face of one of the suits in the crack before she closes the door.

"Yeah, we'll have a great time. Um, I'll be right back."

When I exit the room, I see the main three suits right outside, breathing heavily and leaning on their knees with Michelle propped up against the wall.

"Okusawa-san, we're terribly sorry," one of them says between exasperated breaths. "We just finished setting up the trampoline park for your group's hang-out next weekend."

"We saw Michelle in the mansion just after we finished and tried to get her to you as soon as possible," a second one adds, almost looking like she's about to pass out. "It seems that we just missed the concert though."

"We apologize profusely for our shortcoming," the last one replies, now sitting down next to Michelle due to exhaustion. "It seems you found your band costume though. How did everything go?"

"Well, it definitely went a lot better than I was expecting it to."

"That's very good to hear," the first responds. "Is there anywhere in particular you'd like us to drop off Michelle for tonight?"

"You can bring her back to Kokoro's place, I think she wanted to have a band meeting before our next practice," I answer. "But don't worry too much if I end up forgetting her again. I think Misaki's equipped enough to handle things if Michelle has to call it in."


End file.
